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Holly Gore-DeadlY'S Film Review #1 -
The Evil Dead (2013)

Good evening dear viewer, because it's always evening somewhere in the world and that is the best time I operate. Before the nurse drugs me off to sleep I'd like, (if I may?) to introduce a new writer from the Gore family and a lovely talented young lady to boot. My ravishing and super talented great niece the scaringly beautiful Holly Gore-Deadly. She's now double-barrelled and added a deadly touch just like her film reviews.

Her first outing is a remake of a classic, I sent her off to a midnight showing of The Evil Dead. I would have gone but I'd probably have scared half the cinema goers to death.

Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods. The evil presence possesses them one by one as they fight for survival.
Review:

The last few years has seen a huge rise in horror film releases. In fact more have risen up than the living dead in an impending zombie apocalypse. With so many remakes in the air it was only a matter of time before the Evil Dead rose from its deathly tomb.

This feature debut from Alvarez sees him crawling from the grave to give you the gore fest of your life.

The group of friends find themselves in the cabin, thanks to Jane Levy’s character Mia wanting to kick her drug habit. You soon find out how many times she has tried to do this and you wonder why none of them have thought of just putting her into rehab. It’s Levy’s heightened sense of smell during detox that they find themselves investigating the cellar where the smell is coming from. They soon find the book of the dead. (I hear you all cheering!) Eric (Pucci) reads from the book and (go figure); they soon have demons on their tail.

The atmospheric soundtrack sets the mood perfectly from the beginning and the location was chosen well. This reworking is a much darker tale than the original, we sadly don't have Ash and his hilarious facial expressions, and you don’t get some of the laugh out loud moments either but this would look as out of place as bacon roll at a bar mitzvah.

Alvarez has gone for a much more serious approach here.The characters work well together and they do give you a more believable plot, yet I feel there is something missing. None of the characters really stand out; they just seem to play their parts through each scene until near the end when it suddenly gives you two leading actors, but until that happens you don’t really feel a connection with any of them.

For those of you who loved the original, you still have the fast paced camera work when the demons arrive. If anyone one is interested, the tree scene has been taken on again, this time it gives you a more inventive shock factor. Got wood? She certainly did!
The demons themselves will not disappoint and they overshadow the other actors and in my opinion carry the film. Every time someone gets possessed there are more jerking body movements than a teenage boy watching porn!
They are much scarier than compared to the original and the methods of killing can make you feel quite nauseous and disgusted at times. At points I found myself squirming in my seat and having to look away. For me that's what makes a good horror film and I'm used to the classics of Great Uncle Kenny!

This movie doesn’t mess around and gets right in your face. It goes for the gore factor from the word go and gets better as the film progresses. Although many won’t think it compares to the original classic, its different take on the story is refreshing and having a darker theme and female leading character puts it in a class of its own.

The only problem I really had with the film was the character of Eric. He didn’t get possessed, yet for the love of Hammered Horror will someone tell me why he would not die! He was stabbed, shot at with a nail gun...yeah he got nailed. Yet he still got up more times than Fred Krueger has been resurrected .The final time you wanted to give a standing ovation when he did finally pop his clogs.

Gore-Deadly tip: Stay after the credits for an extra stinger.

So, you gory people, if you want a fright fest, with strong bloody violence and gore (and who reading Kensington Gore’s website doesn’t?) then this film will be just your cup of tea. It’s a dark and deliciously creative remake and well worth resurrecting.

Gore rating:
I rate this a Gore-tastic 4 buckets of Gore – Very Good- enough blood to keep me happy.

Well dear viewer didn't she do well? She'll be dissecting another movie next month, so movie makers send me your indie movies for her to watch. She doesn't just do Horrors, will turn her hand at anything and anyone. But be warned deadly by name and deadly by nature.